No business is defined by its workspace, but having a functional, well-designed office is crucial to keeping employees happy and productivity high.
Having an awesome tech office doesn’t just mean providing beer and cold brew on tap. It means providing a company's workers – as well as clients and the community – with a comfortable environment that aligns with its mission and its operations.
Whether startup and tech companies are hiring artists for custom murals, bringing plants and dogs into the office or hosting rooftop happy hours, the members of RVA's innovation community prioritize having a space that looks and feels good as they look to attract and retain talent.
For a glimpse into some of the region's unique, artful and spacious local tech offices, Richmond Inno has compiled a list of four we envy the most.
Here they are:
Startup Virginia & 1717 Innovation Center
Based out of a 100-year-old, 5-story heavy-timber former tobacco warehouse, the 1717 Innovation Center comprises 42,000 square feet, each of its six floors featuring a theme symbolic of Richmond neighborhoods. The building, owned by Capital One and funded by its Future Edge program, includes a design lab, community boardroom, meeting and event spaces, a mother’s room and open workspace. Works by local artists are displayed throughout the building. The highlight of the structure is the sixth floor addition that features an open rooftop space with a view of the downtown Richmond skyline. Startup Virginia is the main tenant of the building and leases two floors for open workspace and offices, and several floors as well as the rooftop are used for educational programming and community events.
Impact Makers
The Impact Makers office is located on the second floor of the recently renovated Symbol Mattress building. Many of its 87 employees fill the 8,800-square-foot space, which includes a shared gym and pool space with the Symbol apartment building. Supporting its mission as a B Corp, the consulting company designed the space to encompass a large conference room that can open up to hold larger gatherings. Its walls, too, preach its values of giving back to the community with pieces of its mission statement painted on the walls. And, most importantly, it's dog friendly.
Good Run Research – The Rec Room
Good Run Research & Recreation's 6,000-square-foot research and event facility is the home to its 12 Richmond-based 'Runners,' with four more out-of-state employees who swing by when they can. Whether it's for market research projects or event clients, The Rec Room was designed for entertainment. Once a tire repair shop, the company kept its garage doors but rebuilt everything else to meet its needs. The office features tire swings in the lobby, and a running track with a candy wall, a built-in bar and full-body massage chair, and plenty of bright, open workspace.
Dominion Payroll
Dominion Payroll moved into its new Scott's Addition headquarters just recently, after major renovations at the former Symbol Mattress factory were complete. It's a bright, engaging workplace, especially considering the usual reputation of tax offices. The Community Room is surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows – Dominion uses it for large meetings and events, such as Richmond Inno's recent Women in Innovation panel. A large mural, painted by local artist Ross Trimmer of Sure Hand Signs, riffs on its tagline, “empowering your business,” and a large neon logo sign lights up its main lobby on the building's top floor. Its open office plan allows for cross-team collaboration, and the dressings came from local companies: CEO Dave Gallagher’s office features a locally constructed desk from Surface Architecture and the executive meeting room is filled with furniture from LaDiff.
